After Xu Guan survived the heavenly tribulation, he had actually been aware of everything happening around him.
It was just that before the tribulation was over, there was nothing he could do.
All the spiritual energy within the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book had already merged into his body, raising the quality of every meridian and elevating his cultivation by an entire level.
To outsiders, the thunder tribulation had seemed unimaginably powerful. To Xu Guan, however, it had been the easiest part.
What he had seen amid the Three Winds and Four Fires was what truly frightened him.
He was afraid that his disciples would really become as cynical and embittered as they had appeared in the illusions, or that they would lose themselves on the path of cultivation.
He was also worried that one day he might become lofty and revered, yet unbearably lonely.
Xu Guan calmed himself.
He knew that things would not develop that way. That alone was enough.
When he saw Wen Jingzhi and Shu Xin fighting Ning Weixuan, Xu Guan knew that he had to speed things up.
With the methods of the Longevity Dao Sect, whether Ning Weixuan was dead or alive, the matter would never end easily.
Xu Guan shot upward, taking the initiative to meet the tribulation lightning that had yet to descend.
The Pure Realm cultivators watching from the sidelines had already gone numb.
These days, there really was all kinds of people in the world.
There were actually people who would go out of their way to get struck by lightning?
Could it be that only people like this were capable of reaching the Mahayana realm?
…
Even rushing as fast as he could, Xu Guan still managed to save Shu Xin and Wen Jingzhi before Master Yushan arrived.
If he had been even a little later, Shu Xin would have had no choice but to reveal her identity.
Once that happened, Xu Guan absolutely would not have been able to protect her.
“Master Yushan, your junior brother deliberately came to my place of seclusion to injure my disciple, and even tried to tamper with my formation. Shouldn’t we settle this debt as well?” Xu Guan demanded bluntly.
Now that Xu Guan had successfully emerged from seclusion, and after hearing him say this, Shu Xin and Wen Jingzhi both felt emboldened.
At once, Shu Xin began her performance too.
“Master, you’ve finally come out! Your disciple has been bullied terribly!” Shu Xin rubbed at her eyes as though wiping away nonexistent tears. “I only wanted to protect you while you cultivated. Ning Weixuan tried to stop me, and that would have been bad enough, but after injuring us, he ran away. I’m weak, so I couldn’t catch up with him. When I finally did, this senior pinned Ning Weixuan’s death on me. Heaven and earth bear witness: if I was the one who killed Ning Weixuan, then I swear that I’ll never have any hope of reaching the Great Dao or ascending in this lifetime!”
For a cultivator, making such an oath was practically the same as committing suicide.
[…You’re being way too harsh on yourself.]
“I never wanted to ascend in the first place,” Shu Xin said irritably. “I already live miserably in the cultivation world with you protecting me. If I ascend to the immortal realm, wouldn’t I have to start by serving tea and water? There’s no need. It’s just changing platforms. People shouldn’t be so superstitious about the power of a platform. They’re all makeshift operations anyway, and that won’t change wherever you go.”
Shu Xin had a remarkably open-minded way of looking at things.
For cultivators, practicing in the cultivation world versus cultivating in the immortal realm was like someone leaving a small company for a major corporation.
The problem was that aside from having more money, the major corporation had not changed in any other way.
As for things like realizing one’s personal value, that was enough to tell one’s parents. There was no need to deceive oneself as well.
The value of life had never lain in one’s work.
Even Xu Guan, not to mention Master Yushan, was stunned by Shu Xin’s vicious oath.
“Master Yushan, just look at what you’ve driven my disciple to,” Xu Guan said, seizing the opportunity to press his advantage. “I never intended to cause trouble for you. Yet you, an elder who should know better, chased after my disciple. You know perfectly well how powerful your junior brother Ning Weixuan was. Do you really think my frail disciple could have killed him?”
[…Xu Guan is pretty good at making things up.]
The Sword Spirit could not help but sigh.
Sure enough, anyone who spent too long around Shu Xin found it difficult to return to normal.
Just look at her. She alone had managed to corrupt the atmosphere of an entire sect.
Master Yushan frowned. He was now beginning to wonder how Ning Weixuan had actually died.
“You said he offended the Immortal-Slaying Sword. Why?” Master Yushan asked. “And where did the Immortal-Slaying Sword go?”
“I was undergoing my tribulation. How would I know?” Xu Guan replied irritably. He had made the whole thing up in the first place—how could he possibly know? “As for why your junior brother offended the Immortal-Slaying Sword, I know even less. Maybe there was something on him.”
Master Yushan’s expression changed.
Could it have been the jade pendant his master had given him?
He had heard that the Immortal-Slaying Sword specialized in killing terrestrial immortals, while Ning Weixuan was carrying the jade pendant bestowed by his master, which contained the aura of a terrestrial immortal.
Could that be why Ning Weixuan had been killed?
Master Yushan’s heart sank.
He knew that his guess was very likely correct.
With the emergence of the Immortal-Slaying Sword, the future direction of this world would only become even more unpredictable.
“I have no objection to your taking your disciple away,” Master Yushan said, his expression relaxing slightly. He then pointed at Wen Jingzhi. “But I’m taking this person with me. My master personally ordered us to capture him. I cannot let him go.”
Wen Jingzhi was about to speak, but Shu Xin stopped him.
Shu Xin did nothing more than turn toward Xu Guan with tear-filled eyes.
“Master, I’ve been wronged! Jingzhi only resembles Situ Jian. After he abandoned me, I was heartbroken and found a replacement. I used magic to make them look identical, but they aren’t the same person!”
The corners of Xu Guan’s mouth twitched.
Disciple, you’re taking Master Yushan for a complete fool.
Could he really be unable to tell whether they were the same person?
Besides, what Pure Realm cultivator would willingly become your stand-in?
Xu Guan had plenty of things he wanted to complain about, but at a time like this, he could only play the part of a foolishly protective master.
“Master Yushan, you heard her. He isn’t the person you’re looking for,” Xu Guan said with a faint smile. “Please leave. Don’t disturb the celebrations I’m about to receive from everyone.”
“You master and disciple truly intend to treat me like an idiot?” Master Yushan laughed in fury. “I must take Situ Jian with me!”
“Then why don’t you try?” Xu Guan’s tone hardened as well. “I’d like to see just how overbearing and powerful the Longevity Dao Sect really is. It wasn’t enough for you to harm me—you even intend to continue harming my disciples. As it happens, people from all the other sects are here. Let them see for themselves what kind of face the Longevity Dao Sect has!”
The auras of two Mahayana cultivators erupted simultaneously from Xu Guan and Master Yushan.
Compared to Xu Guan, Master Yushan had entered the Mahayana realm earlier, so he naturally possessed greater confidence.
Fortunately, the sacrifice offered to the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book had made up for Xu Guan’s shortcomings. Not only that, it had even raised his cultivation to a higher level.
If they truly fought, Xu Guan’s odds of victory were actually greater than fifty percent.
“Very well, very well, Xu Guan. Since you insist on protecting them today, I won’t stop you.” Master Yushan’s eyes turned cold. “I only hope that when all those who stand beside you turn against you, you’ll be able to remain as strong-willed as you are today.”
“You probably won’t live to see that day,” Xu Guan shot back. “For now, you’d better worry about whether the Everlasting Dao Sect will fall apart. Nearly half of the Nine Sons of Everlasting have died. You should hurry up and find their replacements!”
Master Yushan was so enraged by Xu Guan’s words that he flung his sleeve and left.
There was no need to rush things with Situ Jian. There would always be another opportunity to deal with him.
For now, the most pressing matter was to return and report the Immortal-Slaying Sword to his master.
The Sword Spirit was very confused when it saw that Master Yushan had really left just like that.
【If he had truly attacked, Xu Guan wouldn’t have been able to protect you,】the Sword Spirit said curiously. 【Why did he give up so quickly?】
“His master is the one who wants to capture us, not him,” Shu Xin replied naturally. “Master Yushan has been with Wuweizi for so many years. How could he not know what kind of person his master is? He must have decided that it wasn’t worth fighting Xu Guan to the death for his master, so he left.”
With Wuweizi being the way he was, could anyone really expect his disciple to stand wholeheartedly by his side?
Since they were not of one mind, then when it came to the things Wuweizi ordered him to do, Master Yushan would naturally slack off whenever possible and abandon them at the first opportunity.
A master who did not act like a master, and a disciple who did not act like a disciple.
That description was actually unusually fitting for the Everlasting Dao Sect.
“Congratulations on reaching the Mahayana realm, Master.” Shu Xin smiled brightly and cupped her hands toward Xu Guan.
“Congratulations, Sect Master Xu, on reaching the Mahayana realm.” Wen Jingzhi stood obediently beside Shu Xin and offered her congratulations as well.
Xu Guan glanced at the two of them and waved his sleeve. “Let’s go back and deal with the problems first. We’ll discuss your affairs later.”
Everything that followed went exceptionally smoothly.
The cultivators who had remained near the Seeking God Sect—especially those from the Fiend Demon Sect—fled without a trace the moment they saw Xu Guan successfully overcome his tribulation.
The Blood Demon Sect felt that it had been of some help to the Seeking God Sect, so, like the others, they stayed behind to see what this newly advanced Mahayana cultivator intended to do.
White Crane Dao Lord, Elder Liu, and the others naturally had complicated feelings.
Previously, they had interacted with Xu Guan as equals. But now, they would have to address him as Sect Master Xu or Grand Ancestor Xu.
The cultivation world valued strength above all else.
As long as your cultivation was higher, you were the senior.
And Xu Guan had undoubtedly become one of the people standing at the very peak of the cultivation world.
With a casual wave of his hand, Xu Guan cleared away all the measures that had originally been set up around the Seeking God Sect.
In the presence of a Mahayana cultivator, any such measures were rendered useless.
Then, with another light gesture, he gathered the spiritual energy that had dispersed throughout the surrounding area—especially the spiritual energy that had erupted after Ning Weixuan’s death—and redirected it toward the mountains of the Seeking God Sect.
The spiritual flowers and grasses that had withered after losing their spiritual energy gradually regained their vitality.
This act was undeniable proof that Xu Guan had truly reached the Mahayana realm.
He could now be called an “immortal.”
“Congratulations, Sect Master Xu, on achieving the Mahayana realm!”
Everyone was thoroughly convinced and offered their congratulations in unison.
News of Xu Guan’s successful tribulation and advancement to the Mahayana realm spread like wildfire.
With the other Daoist sects fanning the flames, Xu Guan was praised to the heavens.
Shu Xin had already been astonishing enough as Xu Guan’s disciple. She had broken through and become an Immaculate cultivator at just over a hundred years old, which was immensely shocking.
But when people considered that her master had become a Mahayana cultivator at just over three hundred, it suddenly seemed less difficult to accept.
This master-and-disciple pair had apparently been born to astonish the cultivation world.
Some even said that heroes emerged in troubled times.
The Seeking God Sect was destined to rise, unstoppable and invincible, or so the rumors went.
The news soon reached the other disciples of the Seeking God Sect as well.
The disciples had been mentally prepared for their master to reach the Mahayana realm.
But when they heard that their senior sister had successfully broken through to the Immaculate realm, they could no longer remain calm.
They were all around a hundred years old too, yet they were only at the Dao Nascent realm—already considered outstanding enough to earn everyone’s praise.
Their senior sister, however, was a full two realms above them!
No, was that even reasonable?
The disciples were all somewhat helpless.
They knew their senior sister was formidable, but this was a little too formidable.
It seemed that, from now on, they would no longer be able to go out adventuring with her.
The distance between them and their senior sister had grown farther and farther apart.
White Crane Dao Lord returned to the Myriad Dao Sect with Qu Yougu and the others.
Once they were back at the sect, the sect would naturally send people to deliver gifts and celebrate Xu Guan’s advancement to the Mahayana realm.
As for Qu Yougu, he had become somewhat taciturn.
Before, after Shu Xin rejected him, he had still been carefully considering what exactly she had meant by asking him about Yuan Xinmei.
But after learning that Shu Xin had already become an Immaculate cultivator, Qu Yougu fell silent.
White Crane Dao Lord knew that Qu Yougu’s mood could not be good.
He had not expected Shu Xin to be so powerful, nor had he expected Xu Guan to advance so smoothly.
There truly was no shortage of monsters in the cultivation world.
“Yougu, if the Sect Master reprimands you, don’t argue. Admit your mistake immediately,” White Crane Dao Lord suddenly said. “It would be best if you volunteered to accept punishment. Stay in the sect and don’t go anywhere else for the time being. Understood?”
Qu Yougu had not expected his master to say this and was immediately puzzled.
“Master, what are you worried about? The Sect Master is a reasonable man. I think…”
“Just listen to me.” White Crane Dao Lord rubbed his brow. “You’ll understand soon enough. Originally, we could have taken things slowly and let you come to understand how frightening the sect was. But now, I’m afraid there’s no time.”
Qu Yougu was still confused.
However, once he returned to the Myriad Dao Sect and went with his master and senior uncles to receive an audience with the Sect Master, the first thing that greeted him was the Sect Master’s furious scolding.
“Useless!” The Sect Master of the Myriad Dao Sect cursed without the slightest restraint. “You went to the Seeking God Sect, yet you didn’t bring back a single useful piece of information? You didn’t even know about such a major event as the Immortal-Slaying Sword appearing?”
Qu Yougu and the others lowered their heads and admitted their mistakes.
“You’ve known Shu Xin for so many years, and you still don’t know how to offer yourself to her?” After scolding them one by one, the Sect Master still felt that his anger had not been vented.
These people had gone to the Seeking God Sect and returned without bringing back any useful information. They had not formed an alliance with Xu Guan either. No one knew what they had actually been doing.
“If Shu Xin doesn’t want to marry you, can’t you throw yourself at her?” the Sect Master roared. “She’s already an Immaculate cultivator. An Immaculate cultivator who’s only a hundred years old—no one else would believe it if you told them. Her future achievements will only surpass those of her master, Xu Guan. With someone like her, how could she possibly think highly of you unless you put in some effort?”
Qu Yougu was so thoroughly berated that he was left bewildered.
He did not know what he had done wrong.
White Crane Dao Lord knew.
Their Sect Master was indeed gifted in cultivation, but when it came to managing the sect, he was somewhat ambitious yet incompetent.
He had always been suppressed by Master Yushan.
Now, Master Yushan had become a Mahayana cultivator, while the Sect Master had failed in his attempt to break through. Xu Guan had also climbed above him, yet the Myriad Dao Sect had not gained the slightest benefit from any of it.
Naturally, the Sect Master’s dissatisfaction had been stirred up.
When the sect was doing well, this Sect Master was naturally willing to put on a false show of civility with everyone.
But whenever the sect fell into difficult times, the sect master would push all the blame onto those beneath him.
In the past, Qu Yougu’s cultivation had been too low, so naturally he had not seen the sect master’s true nature.
“The sect master’s reprimand is entirely justified. It is our lack of ability that has dragged the sect down.” White Crane Dao Lord cupped his hands and said, “I am willing to accept the sect’s punishment. I ask that the sect master calm his anger.”
Qu Yougu followed suit and admitted his fault.
The sect master handed out some punishments and confiscated their spiritual-stone stipends for the next hundred years. Only then did his mood improve somewhat.
Qu Yougu left with his master. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he said nothing.
Had his master already anticipated this?
“Some people are like the moon in the sky—fit only to be admired from afar. Since you are not someone capable of plucking the moon from the heavens, give up,” White Crane Dao Lord said. “You and she are not on the same path.”
White Crane Dao Lord could not see through that female cultivator.
But he knew that a woman who could achieve a complete Dao heart and reach the Flawless Realm at just over a hundred years old must have pursuits of her own. She would not stop for anyone.
Even if she needed something, what she needed was someone who could stand beside her as an equal—not someone immature and weaker than herself in cultivation.
Qu Yougu let out a deep sigh. “Master is right. This disciple has learned his lesson.”
The Nine Heavens Dao Sect.
“…That is more or less what happened. That woman, Shu Xin, possesses truly unfathomable attainments in the sword path. What a pity that she is not a disciple of our sect. She has already become a Flawless Realm cultivator.”
Only after they had reported every detail concerning the Asking Gods Sect was their mission considered truly complete.
Beside them, Xie Xianzhi’s eyes shone brightly.
Amazing.
Shu Xin had already become a Flawless Realm cultivator. She was truly extraordinary.
“It seems the Asking Gods Sect’s fortune has arrived,” the sect master of the Nine Heavens Dao Sect said after remaining silent for a long while.
Xu Guan was less than three hundred years old, while Shu Xin was only around a hundred.
They still had extremely long lifespans ahead of them.
This meant that, barring any accidents, the Asking Gods Sect would enter a period of vigorous development over the next several thousand—even ten thousand—years with the two of them there.
Given enough time, it would be no difficult feat for the Asking Gods Sect to become another Longevity Dao Sect.
“Master, is the news about the Immortal-Slaying Sword’s emergence true?”
“It is.” The sect master nodded. “Quite a few people should have sensed the Immortal-Slaying Sword’s aura at the time. The claim that Ning Weixuan died beneath the Immortal-Slaying Sword should be true.”
“Then do you think the Sword Master might be either Xu Guan or Shu Xin?”
“If that were really the case, would the Longevity Dao Sect still have dared to come and provoke them?” The sect master of the Nine Heavens Dao Sect shook his head. “It is precisely because neither of them is the Sword Master that they could only allow Master Yushan to leave. Otherwise, Master Yushan would have been left behind as well. You do not know how terrifying the Immortal-Slaying Sword is. Even Earthly Immortals flee at the sight of it. If anyone in the Asking Gods Sect were the Sword Master, things could never have reached their current state.”
In everyone’s eyes, the Immortal-Slaying Sword should have been as powerful as the legends claimed.
The only people who knew that the Immortal-Slaying Sword itself had suffered a problem were the Earthly Immortals who had joined forces to seal it and had ultimately been killed.
“You came back at just the right time. I have another major task for you,” the sect master of the Nine Heavens Dao Sect said, his expression turning grim. “Quite a few strange incidents have occurred in the sect recently, and I suspect demonic cultivators are involved. I have long known that our sect has many hidden agents. But these agents may be concealed far more deeply than we imagined. Xiang Zhu, you are the purest sword cultivator in our sect. You are the only person I can trust.”
“I will not fail to live up to the sect master’s expectations!”
Similar scenes were playing out in countless sects.
However, the masters of some second- and third-rate sects were now restless and uneasy.
“Elder, Xu Guan has already reached the late Mahayana stage. Those cultivation manuals jade slips he gave us back then—should we collect them all and return them to him?”
“This…” The sect master paused. “I agree with the elder. Let’s do it.”
Other sects now only had to think about how to curry favor with Xu Guan and what gifts to offer him.
But many second- and third-rate sects—especially those that had once invited Xu Guan to banquets under the pretext of eating and drinking, while secretly plotting to seize his cultivation-manual jade slips—were now completely unable to sit still.
They had only wanted to obtain a few cultivation-manual jade slips.
They had entertained him with fine food and wine and observed every courtesy. Xu Guan should not target their sects over something like that, right?
Who could have imagined it?
The Xu Guan who had once shared a banquet with them had suddenly transformed into a Mahayana cultivator?
These small sects were now suffering terribly.
They truly had not meant any harm!
“How about this? We gather all the cultivation-manual jade slips still in our possession and send them back. We’ll promise the Asking Gods Sect that none of our disciples will practice their techniques again. If the Asking Gods Sect is still dissatisfied, we can bundle up all the disciples who have practiced those techniques and send them to the Asking Gods Sect to work as servants. The Asking Gods Sect is expanding now and must be short of manpower. That will show that we have done everything in our power.”
“That’s an excellent idea. We’ll do exactly that!”
As long as they could befriend Xu Guan, a Mahayana cultivator, anything was worth it.
What a pity about those cultivation-manual jade slips. They had drawn them fairly and squarely back then!
At that moment, Xu Guan was sitting in the main hall of the Asking Gods Sect, looking at Shu Xin and Wen Jingzhi.
The Sword Spirit flew out as well.
It could no longer sense the Book Spirit’s presence. Only Xu Guan still carried traces of the Divine Fire Diagram Spirit Book’s power.
“So this is the senior known as the Slayer of Every Immortal Under Heaven.” Xu Guan was exceptionally polite toward the Sword Spirit. “I was blind before. I hope senior will not take offense.”
No amount of courtesy was excessive when offered to the Sword Spirit of the Immortal-Slaying Sword.
[The Book Spirit has disappeared as well. In the future, I may truly be the only one left.] Although it had expected this, the Sword Spirit was still somewhat saddened.
Xu Guan did not know what to do.
“Ahem. This was the Book Spirit’s own choice. Don’t be sad,” Shu Xin said, trying to smooth things over. “Master, since you already know, I won’t hide it from you. Your guess was correct. I am its Sword Master.”
Shu Xin admitted it without the slightest hesitation, which instead left Xu Guan at a loss for words.
“Oh, right, Master. Qin Rushan has already been killed by me.” Seeing that Xu Guan had not spoken, Shu Xin volunteered the news.
“He should have died long ago. He’s merely been clinging to life all these years.” Xu Guan was not surprised at all by the news of Qin Rushan’s death.
His senior fellow disciple should have died when he attempted to break through into the Flawless Realm. It was only because the Longevity Dao Sect had intervened and forcibly elevated him to the late Flawless Realm that he had survived until now.
“So be it.” Xu Guan took a deep breath. “I promised the Book Spirit that I would protect you all. Whatever you want to do, just tell me. I will not question you. I will protect you within the limits of my ability, but if an Earthly Immortal personally takes action, I’m afraid there will be nothing I can do.”
“Rest assured, Master.” Shu Xin smiled sweetly. “I’ll stay right here and behave. I won’t cause you any trouble.”
No one present—including the Sword Spirit—believed her.
